Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Health → Genetics

Villagers high in the Andes have developed a genetic tolerance to arsenic

For centuries, arsenic was the go-to poison in the high circles of Europe, either to knock out political foes or to simply eliminate people on the dastardly way to a high position; it was odourless, tasteless, and until 1830 - when chemist James Marsh developed a test - impossible to detect. Thankfully, we're dealing with much less intentional arsenic poisoning today, but unfortunately, we're dealing with much more accidental poisoning. Recently, scientists discovered a population that developed natural immunity to arsenic, high in the Andes.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
March 16, 2015
in Genetics, Health, News

For centuries, arsenic was the go-to poison in the high circles of Europe, either to knock out political foes or to simply eliminate people on the dastardly way to a high state position; it was odourless, tasteless, and until 1830 – when chemist James Marsh developed a test – impossible to detect. Thankfully, we’re dealing with much less intentional arsenic poisoning today, but unfortunately, we’re dealing with much more accidental poisoning. Recently, scientists discovered a population that developed natural immunity to arsenic, high in the Andes.

Image: Wikimedia/Guigue

The dominant basis of arsenic poisoning is from ground water that naturally contains high concentrations of arsenic. A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are probably affected by arsenic poisoning from drinking water. At high doses, the metal can cause vomiting, convulsions and eventually results in coma  and can even be fatal. Low exposures over a longer period of time have been linked to liver and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, skin lesions and cancer.

There is no cure or treatment for chronic exposure to arsenic, so any clue would be much welcome in the fight against this issue which plagues so many people world wide. Researchers from Sweden say they have identified a population in Argentina that has evolved a genetic mutation, which enables them to naturally inactivate arsenic toxicity, at least to some extent..

“They metabolise arsenic faster and to a less toxic form compared to an American or Westerner,” the study’s lead author, Karin Broberg, a geneticist at Karolinska Institutet, a medical university in Sweden, told NPR. “This is the first evidence of human adaptation to a toxic chemical.”

Archaeologists had previously found 7,000 year old mummies with traces of arsenic in their hair, so this led scientists to believe that the population had been living in a contaminated area for very many generations, something which seems to have gradually created a specific adaptation. The research team performed a genome wide survey on a group of 124 Andean women, and analyzed their urine to see how well they metabolize arsenic.

They found a significant difference in the way they are able to metabolize arsenic; basically, they are not affected by chronic exposure to it (or are less affected). The exact date at which this evolutionary trigger took place remains unknown, but this phenomenon might new insights regarding not only how we can fight arsenic poisoning – but how resistance to such substances occurs genetically.

Journal Reference: Carina M Schlebusch, Lucie M Gattepaille, Karin Engström, Marie Vahter, Mattias Jakobsson and Karin Broberg. Human Adaptation to Arsenic-Rich Environments. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msv046

 

 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Water wells serving 2 million Americans could be contaminated with high levels of Arsenic
  2. High level of arsenic contamination found in groundwater near fracking sites
  3. New study links high levels arsenic and other contaminants to hydraulic fracking sites
  4. This simple five-minute breathing routine improves fitness and exercise tolerance in middle-aged people
  5. How famine and disease supercharged the spread of lactose tolerance in Europe
Tags: arsenicpoisnon

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW